ADNY (Alain Ducasse @ Essex House)

[marcus]

Although Delouvrier is capable of producing wonderful dishes, his pigeon with a black truffle sauce at Les Celebrites is possibly the single best dish that I've had in NY, one has to view his tenures at both Les Celebrites and Lespinasse as unsuccessful. I believe that he failed as a kitchen manager, and his menu was uneven as well. He never developed a definitive style or a clientele that was inclined to repeat visits. There was also an element of sloppiness in his dishes which is the antithesis of Ducasse. Perhaps he will have significantly more support across the board in the Ducasse environment and will do better.

[Fat Guy]

Failed as a kitchen manager? Given that you've recently made this claim about two four-star chefs (of Gray Kunz you wrote "I don't believe that Kunz was considered to be a great kitchen leader or manager when he was at Lespinasse.") both of whom happened to be the chef at Lespinasse and both of whom I think rank at the very top of the overall hierarchy of chefs, let me suggest that Lespinasse was absolutely doomed from the start. Maybe you're letting the failure of Lespinasse -- which was beyond the control of any chef -- loom too large over your conclusion. Or maybe you know something I don't. But I can't imagine anybody who has seen Delouvrier work would call him anything but a tremendously effective, hands-on kitchen manager who personally expedites at almost every service.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the claim, but I'm reminded of the announcement that went out a couple of years ago for a Beard House dinner featuring the disciples of Delouvrier: "As a mentor to more chefs than we could possibly collect in the Beard House kitchen, Christian Delouvrier, chef of New York's Lespinasse, has nurtured a generation of cooks, bitter almonds and cabbage, if you will, and helped them grow to be great chefs in their own right." The dinner featured Delouvrier proteges Ed Brown, Mike Colameco, Luc Dimnet, and Edward Stone, and you could add to that list Neil Annis and many others.

I do agree, and noted above, that Ducasse will help rein in Delouvrier's wilder side and give more focus to his menus. But I can't reason my way from there to the conclusion that he doesn't have a definitive style. I think when he's cooking at his core -- the meat, game, and shellfish dishes that earned him his stars and accolades -- his style has always been quite distinctive. As for loyal customers, there's a substantial group -- I know because, as a member of that group, I'm often receiving e-mails and phone calls from the Delouvrier loyalists, many of whom haven't been to Lespinasse in the past 2-3 years even though they love Delouvrier's cuisine. Lespinasse was a disintegrating mess in the front of the house and on the business side, and it just wasn't worth trying to see Delouvrier through that thick veil. But ADNY is already drawing out the Delouvrier faithful.

In any event, I don't mean to quibble. The past is what it is. You need a lot of luck to succeed in this business, no matter how good you are. Now Delouvrier is at what will probably represent the pinnacle of his career. Let's hope the planets are in alignment and that his moment has arrived.

[marcus]

Failed as a kitchen manager? Given that you've recently made this claim about two four-star chefs (of Gray Kunz you wrote "I don't believe that Kunz was considered to be a great kitchen leader or manager when he was at Lespinasse.") both of whom happened to be the chef at Lespinasse and both of whom I think rank at the very top of the overall hierarchy of chefs, let me suggest that Lespinasse was absolutely doomed from the start.

Lespinasse with Kunz at the helm was the finest restaurant in NY in the past couple of decades, I have said this before, and I have only the highest regard for Gray Kunz. He was reputed to have problems of temperament and interpersonal relationships, and the comment of mine that you quote, was strictly relating to how he would adapt to the challenges of Cafe Gray where he will be dealing in a high volume, high turnover environment, where those issues will be stressed. I wish him the best.

On the other hand, I stand by my comments regarding Delouvrier, a talented, but in my opinion, flawed chef. Les Celebrites, was if anything more of a mess than Lespinasse, and I don't believe that it was doing great business. The kitchen was clearly not well oiled, dishes came out at odd intervals, and there was a lot of inconsistency. I think that managing a kitchen, and mentoring rising young chefs are two different things, and one can be good at one and not the other. I also think that Delouvrier's strength is opulence, and Ducasse's is restraint and rigor, the whole may be greater than the some of its part, or there could be a disaster in the offing. We shall see.

[slkinsey]

I also think that Delouvrier's strength is opulence, and Ducasse's is restraint and rigor. . .

I wonder if you might expand on this a bit. It seems like you're saying that Delouvrier's strength is in using lots of luxury ingredients and a broad, varied palette whereas Ducasse has a more narrow, strictly controlled focus in his cuisine?

[marcus]

I wonder if you might expand on this a bit. It seems like you're saying that Delouvrier's strength is in using lots of luxury ingredients and a broad, varied palette whereas Ducasse has a more narrow, strictly controlled focus in his cuisine?

I wouldn't describe Ducasse as narrow, some of his dishes can be quite complex, but yes everything is in control and in balance. The Bresse chicken albufera with white truffles that I had at AD/PA last automn was one of the finest chicken dishes that I've ever had in terms of succulence and perfetion of flavor and flavor balance, but it didn't knock me over the way that Bocuse's Bresse chicken en vessie once did. I would have liked more white truffles too, even if it would have put the dish over the top, it would have been fun and worth it. But, Ducasse certainly uses luxury ingredients. Delouvrier, I believe, aims at flavor intensity at the expense of these other characteristics. Deep down, my guess is that Ducasse might regard him as a bit unrefined.

[Jonathan Day]

finished with broken whipped cream

What is "broken whipped cream"? Is this cream whipped until it begins to turn into butter? Why would you use this rather than ordinary whipped cream?

It's Delouvrier-speak (looking in my reference books, I see now that it's not a standard term) for his style of lightening a sauce with whipped cream at the last minute -- it has nothing to do with breaking as in a broken sauce. He lightly whips the cream (no Profi-Whip device here -- this is done by whisk to a very soft consistency) and when the sauce is just at the moment of service he takes a spoonful of the whipped cream and "breaks" it into the sauce. The closest standard term would be fold but to fold it into the sauce would mean to distribute it evenly in several turns of the spoon. It's also not quite swirled in. It's more of a single fold-swirl motion, which Delouvrier calls breaking.

Do you know the French term he translates as "broken"?

[Fat Guy]

I've got to assume "brisée" as in pâte brisée which, I think, derives from the ingredients being "broken" into one another. Not that I've ever seen "crème brisée" written in any cookbook ever, but my French is about as weak as can be. It's certainly something I could ask him about next time I go in there. My arm already hurts thinking about the demonstration, which will no doubt involve me whipping a lot of cream and then feeling like an idiot because I can't break it right.

[degusto]

Pâte brisée, pâte feuilletée and pâte sablée all derive their names from the resulting texture rather than how they are made.

[Fat Guy]

According to LaVarenne.com:

Brisée means “broken” as the ingredients for this classic pastry are broken into each other by kneading until they are as pliable as putty.

[oakapple]

In today's New York Post, Steve Cuozzo awards four stars to Alain Ducasse with Christian Delouvrier as chef:

It took four years, but Alain Ducasse has finally blossomed into a great New York restaurant. The joy that flows from new executive chef Christian Delouvrier's kitchen justifies spending $150 on a prix-fixe dinner. It's the place to splurge when that special occasion - a big birthday, or the call you've been waiting for from Harvey Weinstein - comes around.

Or go for no occasion at all, other than the joy of a dining experience that's a seamless magic carpet of pleasure from start to finish. Alain Ducasse (the restaurant) has got its act together even if Alain Ducasse (the man) is increasingly distracted by 17 restaurants the world over.

Forget everything you've read or heard - the goofy knife-and-pen presentations when it opened in 2000, savage early reviews (my own among them) and a four-star Times review 18 months later that no one believed. New Yorkers never embraced the place the way they do Le Bernardin, Daniel and Jean-Georges, and it has never been hard to get reservations.

But that might change. Since Delouvrier took over the kitchen two months ago, the food is phenomenal - as refined as it is approachable, as inventive as it is disciplined. And the gilded setting is better than ever, with muted lighting that takes the edge off the room's miles of gold trim and sumptuous overkill.

Cuozzo writes reviews for the common man. Even in the context of a four-star review, he doesn't hesitate to let you know when you might get taken to the cleaners:

If only the waiters didn't push extras without hinting what they cost - like the young woman who offers a pre-meal, $42 glass of champagne. But with prices this high, who's counting?

Admin note: Merged thread.

Edited July 28, 2004 by Pan (log)

[Fat Guy]

It would be difficult to imagine a much more favorable review of ADNY, especially given the historical context.

I recently had a second meal at ADNY/Delouvrier and was very pleased with the restaurant's progress: the dishes were tightly wound and authoritative, and there was a palpable, positive vibe among the waitstaff. They'll be shutting down for the annual August vacation -- I believe the middle 2 weeks of August? -- and I expect the buzz will really get going when they and the well-to-do target audience get re-situated in the city and they start moving towards the fall produce, and then game and truffle seasons.

[milla]

i have secured a reservation at ADNY at the end of September.

the reservationist on the phone was very upbeat in describing the new Fall menu that will then be in place, and how excited the staff was looking forward to it.

My benchmark NYC meal was ADNY in January 2001 so I look forward to it with much anticipation...

[robert40]

New York Mag.

http://nymetro.com/nymetro/food/reviews/9864/index.html

[Stagiaire]

What is "broken whipped cream"? Is this cream whipped until it begins to turn into butter? Why would you use this rather than ordinary whipped cream?

It's Delouvrier-speak (looking in my reference books, I see now that it's not a standard term) for his style of lightening a sauce with whipped cream at the last minute -- it has nothing to do with breaking as in a broken sauce. He lightly whips the cream (no Profi-Whip device here -- this is done by whisk to a very soft consistency) and when the sauce is just at the moment of service he takes a spoonful of the whipped cream and "breaks" it into the sauce. The closest standard term would be fold but to fold it into the sauce would mean to distribute it evenly in several turns of the spoon. It's also not quite swirled in. It's more of a single fold-swirl motion, which Delouvrier calls breaking.

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Edited September 12, 2004 by Stagiaire (log)

[Stagiaire]

So, what happened to Psaltis? Did he quit? Was he canned? Demoted? Transferred? Shallow grave? Is he landing someplace else?

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Doug Psaltis is now at the French Laundry.

[tan319]

Doug Psaltis is now at the French Laundry.

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Love the sig, Stagiaire!

[adegiulio]

From what I have read, the wine pairing they offer is very weak. Is that still the case? Does anybody here think the wine pairing was worth the money? We have reservations for our first anniversary, and the thought of trying to pair a bottle of wine to our entire meal seems tough....

Thanks for any input..

[bloviatrix]

New York Mag.

http://nymetro.com/nymetro/food/reviews/9864/index.html

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I don't get the bug that Platt has up his ass. Ducasse bashing is so 2000.

[Fat Guy]

From what I have read, the wine pairing they offer is very weak.

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As I recall we had a report from a member complaining of unsatisfactory wine pairings. I didn't think the pairings listed were bad. They were just overpriced, as are pretty much all the wines at ADNY.

The basic issue is that you need to spend a lot of money if you want to drink really good wine at ADNY. If you want to eat at ADNY on a relatively (for the establishment) limited budget, the pairing option will get you a glass of middle-market wine with each course that will probably pair pretty well. If you want more upmarket pairings, give the sommelier a bigger budget to work with. For better or worse, that's how it works.

I happen to think the sommelier at Ducasse -- his name is Andre -- is excellent. If you engage him and state your preferences, chances are he will work with you outside the bounds of any predetermined pairings. And if you don't like a pairing, just say so. The last time I was there, Andre poured a glass of wine that I didn't like and didn't think went well with the dish I was eating, so I said so and he took it back and brought another. No big deal. A lot of this stuff is about personal preference.

[Fat Guy]

I don't get the bug that Platt has up his ass.  Ducasse bashing is so 2000.

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Yes, but now it's retro.

[MobyP]

Has anyone been here recently - and any recs on the autumn menu?

[adegiulio]

Going on Saturday, I'll post feedback on Sunday...

[milla]

Dinner at Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, September 28th, 2004

Almost 4 years ago, just a short while after ADNY had opened up in the Essex House I had the opportunity to visit the restaurant for lunch on a bitterly cold day. I had been curious because this he was in the midst of him being bashed every which way in the press mostly for what was perceived as an attitude that he was blessing NYC with his presence, “sweeping into town, trailing his Michelin stars like a diamond-studded cape, and offering himself to the city as a gift it might or might not deserve” as William Grimes stated, that the city should be thankful that he had decided that it had been chosen. Grimes bestowed three stars, which was considered a blow. I went to see what all the fuss was about. When I left later that afternoon it was clear that I had experienced my benchmark meal in NYC, the dining experience that I have since measured others against. From start to finish it was a moving culinary moment for me in which we were pampered and cared for and never a sense of pretension or even desperation as in, they felt they now had something to prove or ground to make up.

A lot has happened since then. Most notably, Christian Delouvrier was brought aboard, a curious move to some. I had even heard that this might prove to be a chance for a graceful exit for Ducasse to leave NY with Chef Delouvrier in place. I wanted to go again because of my past experience but to also see how it measured up to my previous visit and to see the Delouvrier influence and how it melded. I was also blessed to have the opportunity to visit Per Se on the next evening during this trip and I looked forward to viewing them standing side by side.

I had made my reservation in August and had no problem securing a table. The reservationist was quite enthusiastic on the phone saying we would have a chance to sample the new fall menu, a complete change with the new chef’s guidance, after the staff had taken a couple of weeks of for vacation and how excited they were with the change.

The new menu has a short list of dishes, 4 appetizers, 4 fish and 4 meats with a selection of 6 desserts. You are given a choice of one appetizer, one fish or meat and dessert for $150 or one appetizer, one fish, one meat and dessert for $175. There is also a tasting menu of 5 courses, cheese and dessert for $225. Cheese is an additional $21.

Our party of four was greeted at the door warmly at exactly 8pm. with enough staff present so all our coats were removed at the same time. We were seated immediately at a well-placed table, the third party to be seated on a very rainy and blustery Tuesday evening. Since the explanation of the pricing structure has always rested on the fact that the restaurant books only one seating per evening it was interesting to note that they did seat every table that service including the private chef’s table. They were full.

We elected to do the 4 course option and we all added cheese to our menu.

Following is the menu I choose with comments.

An aperitif of Champagne Paul Drouet NV

A Gougere. But what a Gougere. A tray was offered with a correctly sized gruyere- pate a choux pastry that had been filled through the bottom with a Mornay sauce that was intensely flavored with an aged Comte cheese. It was, in a word, stunning. The temperature of the bite sized pastry was perfect.

Our amuse was in a martini glass. At the bottom was a fine dice of gazpacho vegetables gently folded into sweet lobster meat and then it was covered with a clear limpid gelee of gazpacho. On top of this was placed a large quenelle of Iranian golden osetra caviar that because of its heft and weight sank down into the gelee where the uppermost surface of the quenelle peeked above the liquid. Though submerged, it was clearly visible in the gelee, as if suspended by a series of silken threads. The gelee was masterful and had no indication of being cooked in anyway yet the individual fresh raw flavors were seemlessly intergrated. You could make out the distinct flavors of each and every vegetable, onion, tomato, bell pepper and cucumber with the suprising addition of heat, which we thought to be a fresh mild chilli. Our guess from previous experience was that it was a red Fresno pepper, a chilli that is tastes like a sweet pepper but with a ting of heat and flavor. One could argue that the heat was not an obvious choice with caviar but I felt it was a thoughtful and exciting match. It woke us up.

Our white wine, a Chassagne Montrachet village wine from Domaine Ramonet from the 1998 vintage was served.

Bread- Small individual pointed ficelles that are delicious. Also a multi-grained bread which I did not try. The two butters, salted and unsalted were of tremendous quality. I enjoyed them much more so than the lauded French Laundry butter from Vermont had recently in Yountville which, though richer, also possessed a sour cream flavor that I felt wasn’t as sweet. We ate a lot of the salted…

Appetizer- Roasted Langostine Royale, Cauliflower Mousseline.

A warm bowl with a lid is place down and is uncovered. On the bottom is trembling cauliflower custard, barely warm, on top, which rested two Brittany langostines of impressive size and freshness. Around the shellfish was an intensely flavored froth of langostine and cauliflower, united perfectly in harmony yet distinct in their individual flavors. Masterful and one the best dishes of my life. Again, the whole dish is an ambient temperature that is not too hot or cold that brings the whole dish to its optimum presentation.

Fish Course- Atlantic Bass, Clams, Watercress Jus.

The bottom of the plate is coated in an emerald green sauce. Resting on this was a square of moist sea bass that had cooked for a very long time at a low temperature on the bone. The filet had been removed then the skin had then been peeled off and the grey fat had been scraped off. On top of the filet covering the entire surface was sweet little clams, each of which the tougher lip and body had been trimmed off leaving a singular sweet muscle. I enjoyed this but it was my least favorite all night. The watercress jus had, in addition, the taste of spinach which, along with the copious amount of butter used as a liason detracted form the purity of the watercress. A gentle aside at best, as the cooking times for bass and clam were spot on, the attention to detail in a deceptively simple presentation, as there was no fault, only personal preference. I love watercress…

Our red wine, a Chateau Le Gay Pomerol, also from 1998 is served.

Meat Course- Berkshire Pig “Confit”, Crispy Pork Belly, Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Gnocchi.

I know I am not the only one that would ask for this particular Chef to prepare Pig or pork of any preparation if given a choice of only one. Two French butcher cuts of a dark fleshed Berkshire pig, the echine and epaule, both parts of the shoulder, are slowly braised in rendered pork fat, then browned in a hot oven. They are presented in individual pieces on the plate, not sliced as to allow them to dry out. Nestled nest to it is a generous piece of pork belly that had been stewed until tender and then crisped to a crackly finish. The garnish was some feather light butternut squash gnocchi and some flavorful pieces of pumpkin that had been roasted and then gratineed with parmesan cheese. A masterful, satisfying true jus moistened the plate.

I also wanted to share the “Ribeye of certified prime Black Angus Rossini” for two that was shared by half our table. It was an immense 3” thick rib-eye, grilled and roasted perfectly, caramelized, and presented on a carte with a generous amount of sauteed cepes and a WHOLE roasted lobe of foie gras. A jus of Madeira and Perigord truffles was the sauce. The rib was de-nerved (a small stringy nerve runs the length of the rib and loin between the eye and the calotte or cap) and then the eye and cap were separated and served together. A macaroni and cheese gratin was served separately with a ridiculous amount of truffles. Impressive.

Another share…The table next to us had ordered in advance what looked like a textbook “Poularde Demi-Deuil” in multiple services that I was informed could be had with advance notice. There were a lot of truffles in that bird…

Cheese- Cheese, Perfectly Matured

I don’t remember exactly what I had but this was the one weak point at the lunch I so enjoyed in January of 01. The cheeses were, indeed, perfectly matured and expertly served. My one quibble was the bread served with the cheese. They were both brioche, plain and a black olive. A long sheet of dough had been rolled out thing then rolled into a log. It was then sliced and baked lying flat so it resembled a danish. I would have preferred more of the baguette and, in retrospect, I should have asked for some.

The sommelier picked out a glass of 2000 Ata Rangii Pinot Noir from New Zealand as a worthy match for my selected cheeses.

Dessert- Baba, Rum of your choice, Monte-Carlo Style.

What can I say, I always wanted to try this having heard so much about it. The rum is first selected off a cart (a dark specimen from the French Antilles, 18 years old). It is poured into a small silver pitcher and placed next to you. A tasting glass of the rum is then poured for you. The baba itself is presented, bloated with a sugar syrup, and then split in half. The rum is poured over the two halves and then a huge dollop of unsweetened whipped cream that is flecked with an ungodly amount of vanilla bean is added on top.

I loved it. I am not a big dessert fan but the forward alcoholic nature of the spirit, the lack of cloying sweetness and richness was exactly what I craved. Bravo. Interesting to note how dramatically the tone of the dessert changes with a different run as we found out comparing with a another portion with a different rum at our table.

Post Dessert- I loved this concept. This was a light dessert denouement and refreshing change from all the pre-desserts that one can encounter. This was exceptional. It was a Lime and Vanilla Bean sorbet resting on a fine bruniose of pineapple and a small amount of rum gelee. A perfect placement.

We then had the usual candy, mignardise and chocolate parade off the carts which, as in this case, I never do as I am sated and not ready to go over the edge. Coffee is French press and is allocated the correct time for infusion. A fresh mint tea is prepared by snipping fresh leaves off a potted plant, again infused in filtered water for the proper time.

We finish with the best macaroons I have ever enjoyed anywhere in my travels.

Overall impressions.

This meal met my expectations and then hammered it home. It delivered. The service remains the best service I have ever had in the United States, formal, exacting, silent and anticipating, reading our tables wants and dslikes and reacting accordingly. They were friendly and never pretentious. My fear in such a formal luxurious environments is that the first moment or inkling of hautiness then everything, the whole experience goes out the window. We were never in any danger of that.

I had a great meal the next night at Per Se with a grand chefs tasting menu. It was wonderful but with relatively minor details of just missed cooking times and a couple of long waits between courses. But I think when it comes down to it, I would return to ADNY first. Delouvrier seemed happy as a child in the dining room fitting into the Ducasse system like a hand in a glove. The vaunted attention to detail was present. The cooking was perfect as was a pervading quiet confidence. There is a richness of experience, a depth, that is an intangible that I haven’t received elsewhere in the States. Almost 4 years ago I followed my meal chez ADNY at Jean Georges and I had the same feeling. The others seem shallow in comparison and as good as Per Se is, worthy and all together deserving of the new 4 stars and just as special in its own right, the depth of feeling, the seemless whole of ADNY, the first single gougere to that last one macaroon, astonishes me and remains my personal benchmark.

Cheers

[MobyP]

What a superb review.

[adegiulio]

What a superb review.

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Man, after that review, my review Sunday as going to sound pretty lame...